During the campaign for women to get the right to vote, Kate Sheppard and her fellow suffragists handed out white camellias to their supporters in Parliament and red camellias to those not in favour of equal rights between the sexes, thus the white camellia became the symbol of the women's suffrage in New Zealand. Beyond the very good reason to grow camellias as a symbol of women's emancipation (Camellia japonica 'Kate Sheppard' in particular! READ MORE:* Camellias for birds and bees* Women's Day: blooms named after Kiwi women* Trees and shrubs with scented flowers in winterSALLY TAGG Camellia reticulata 'Dream Girl'. PRUNING & SHAPINGCamellias are tough and will grow back if pruned hard but are equally fine left to their own devices. Wait until camellias have flowered before pruning and only prune to control the size or remove damaged branches.

Source: Stuff July 19, 2019 01:52 UTC